With the USA set to take on the UK in World Cup action on Saturday, millions of Yanks who otherwise couldn’t give a toss about football will be tuning in, hoping for opportunities to bellow “U-S-A” at anyone within earshot. (Why do they call it ‘soccer’ anyway?) Given that the event comes just as the NHL and NBA finals wind down and long before American football kicks off, is it possible that the entire World Cup experience is designed as a quadrennial ‘leg-up’ program for North American-facing bookmakers? Or is that just the kind of narcissistic thinking the rest of the world fans have come to expect from those who think ‘the beautiful game’ is Deal Or No Deal? Read more.
Does the World Cup exist solely to pick up slack in bookies’ sked?
